Admission to the Honors College

Eligibility requirements for incoming freshman students

The Honors College is open to qualified entering freshmen, continuing students who demonstrate excellence after enrolling at VCU and transfer students who have shown similar ability at other institutions.

High school graduates with combined new SAT scores of at least 1910 (from one test administration) and a 3.5 or higher unweighted high school GPA (on a four-point scale) or are the recipients of a VCU Presidential Scholarship are eligible for admission to The Honors College upon application.

Transfer student admissions

Transfer students with at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA in 12 to 74 semester credit hours of study from their transfer institution must complete an Honors College application and present a personal education essay. The essay describes the student’s perspective on his/her personal education. Specific directions for the paper are found in the admissions information for prospective students on the Honors College’s Web site at www.honors.vcu.edu.

Transfer students who have accumulated more than 74 credits of college course work may petition the dean of The Honors College to gain admission. Petitioning students must be prepared to offer an explanation for the delay of their application to The Honors College and present a plan for completing the requirements for graduation with University Honors. Appeals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Admission for current VCU students

Continuing students with at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA in 12 to 53 semester credits at VCU must complete an Honors College application and present a personal education essay. The essay describes the student’s perspective on his/her personal education. Specific directions for the paper are on the The Honors College Web site, www.honors.vcu.edu.

Continuing students who have accumulated more than 53 credits of college course work may petition the dean of The Honors College to gain admission. Petitioning students must be prepared to offer an explanation for the delay of their application to The Honors College and present a plan for completing the requirements for graduation with University Honors. Appeals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Responsibilities

Admission to The Honors College is a privilege that comes with certain responsibilities. In addition to maintaining at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA, honors students are expected to be active members of The Honors College community. To remain active, students must enroll in at least one honors course per academic year and attend at least three honors seminars or other honors events per semester.

To continue in The Honors College, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Should a student’s cumulative GPA fall below 3.5, but not below a 3.0, the student may be placed on Honors Probation for one semester.